I remember the first time I heard about Brandon. I was home in Central California for the summer, and my best friend Alie called for one of our long catch up sessions. We’d only been talking ten minutes when she started talking about this co-worker of hers with a motorcycle and a bad habit of showing up wherever she was. His name was Brandon and the day before, she had finally agreed to let him take her on a ride on said motorcycle. In fact, as we were talking, she was waiting for him to pick her up. Over the next few years, I would hear about this poor fellow a lot, and as their relationship progressed I came to truly respect and admire him. You would not believe the patience and determination this man has… and my friend deserves nothing less than a man who loves her as completely as Brandon does.
Alie is the most generous person I have ever had the honor to call friend. I have never left her house empty handed – even if she’s had to force me to accept her gifts. (This last weekend she made me take home a bottle of peppermint hand soap that I mentioned I liked. Seriously, forced.) What I love most about her, though, is her incredible mind and drive. Our conversations have a rhythm that leave me wanting to know and do more as her very presence encourages those around her to do better. I wish everyone could know her the way I do…but since you can’t, let me show you just how beautiful she is instead. 🙂
Alie and Brandon met while working Emergency Medical Services at UCLA. Brandon liked this blonde girl so much that he’d swap his shifts with coworkers to work the same times as her. Alie would offhandedly comment on the way she seemed to work with him more than anyone else, completely oblivious to the wheeling and dealing going on behind the scenes. When we were talking about places to shoot engagement photos, the idea of photographing them with their ambulance came up. How could I possibly say no to that? 
After the ambulance left, we used the library and the rest of Royce court to get more photos. 
Finally, we drove over to the Santa Monica Pier (they spent a lot of time in Santa Monica while they were dating) to create some romantic images under the wood pilings at sunset. It was cloudy as we parked, and I was a little concerned that we wouldn’t see the sun’s rays, but I couldn’t have planned the weather any better myself! A heavy fog started rolling in as I started shooting, creating the most romantic golden mist around the couple. Hellooooo gorgeous lighting!
